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The mother-and-daughter team of Ruth Anderson, left, and Rebecca Twombly will display needlework pieces they have crafted through the years during this week's First Friday Art Walk in Scranton.

Some artists take pen to paper, others brush to canvas. Rebecca Twombly and Ruth Anderson take needle to cloth.

The mother and daughter will show off the countless hours they have put into creating colorful counted cross-stitch, embroidery and crewel pieces during Scranton's First Friday Art Walk this Friday. Visitors can view the pieces at CareNet of Scranton, 310 Adams Ave.

Mrs. Anderson, who lives in Scranton, has done needlework for many years and passed on the craft to her daughter.

"I taught her to do it when she was pretty little, starting with really simple things, but then she took it up on her own later when she grew up," Mrs. Anderson said.

Peaceful pastime

What started as embroidering a 5-inch square with yarn evolved over the years into more intricate work for Mrs. Twombly, of Carbondale, who recalled receiving her first large cross-stitch project for her 17th birthday. Now, she can create a 17-inch-by-12-inch project with numerous colors in around a month and a half, depending on how often she has time to work on it.

"It's a peaceful thing," said Mrs. Twombly, who has hung pieces around her home and also given them away as gifts. "It's something I can do while I watch TV or watch a movie or while I wait at the airport. ... It's similar to reading for me. It's just something I can do to fill in some time and keep my mind occupied, and I end up with something beautiful at the end."

Mrs. Twombly mostly does counted-cross stitch, while her mother "does a lot more variety of needlework," she explained. Cross-stitch involves stitching a cloth grid with colored thread, usually by making an "x" with the thread in each box of the grid. In embroidery and crewel, on the other hand, crafters stitch free-form onto plain fabric.

LIke mother, like daughter

Seeing the work she and her daughter have created "makes me kind of feel a sense of accomplishment not just for myself but for her as well," Mrs. Anderson said. The pieces they plan to display during First Friday include scenes of people, objects like ships and flowers and samplers.

"A lot of them are like ladies in old-fashioned dress," Mrs. Anderson said.

Both women are looking forward to meeting visitors and talking about their projects during First Friday, and Mrs. Anderson hopes people who stop by will take away "a sense of appreciation for things that are worthwhile and beautiful and in life in general."

"I'm just looking forward to talking to people and showing ... them something new that they've never seen or thought of before," Mrs. Twombly said.

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com, @cheaneyTT on TwitterIf you go

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